Manufactured Homes 101 - Buying Guide

Welcome to the FMHA Manufactured Homes 101

Whether you’re a first-time home buyer, looking to move-up or preparing for retirement, buying a new home is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Florida Manufactured Housing Association is here to help make the home buying process easier.

Knowledge Is Essential to Buying Your New Home

Get Informed

The more information you have available to you, the more you can be certain that you are making the right decision for you, your family, and your budget. Stop dreaming, and start living!

Manufactured Homes 101 provides you with valuable insight and basic facts related to home purchasing. Each section features frequently asked questions and answers to help provide you with the knowledge to make well-informed home buying decisions.

 
 

A Quick Guide of Common Terms

Get Started

The terms used to describe different types of factory-built homes can be confusing. Fortunately, we’re here with a quick guide to the diverse styles of prefab dwellings out there today, so you’ll be extra confident when heading out in search of your new home!

First, “manufactured home” refers to any factory-built house made after 1976 that is constructed in a home-building facility then moved to a permanent location. 1976 is the year the federal HUD Code went into effect with stringent national rules for the safety and durability of these homes.

Modular homes are also built in an off-site facility then assembled on-site at the home’s permanent location. Modular homes must comply with local, state and regional laws, much like a site-built home.

Home Builders, Retailers, Supply & Service Firms

Connect directly to FMHA member home builders, retailers, communities, supply and service firms through our Buyer’s Guide/Manufactured Homes 101. Companies listed on this website are members in good standing of the FMHA and you can be confident doing business with them.

Quality, Performance & Affordability

Today’s factory-built homes offer all the quality, amenities and performance you expect in your new home at prices you can afford. Refer to our Why Manufactured Homes Section to find out how factory-built homes offer the best value in housing today.

Let Us Help You Know More About Your New Home

What You Need to Know

 It is important to learn as much as you can about this type of housing so that you can make informed decisions throughout the home-buying process. Getting all the information you need is as easy as turning to FMHA. From explaining what a manufactured home is to connecting you with qualified home builders, communities, retail centers, financial lenders, and more, every resource you need you can find with us.

At the outset, we feel it is important that you understand what a modern-day manufactured home is and why it’s a viable option to ease America’s current affordable housing crisis. Here is a brief overview:

How to Buy the Perfect Home for You

Manufactured Home Benefits

These hand-built homes are an excellent housing option for all potential homeowners, whether they are looking to buy their first home, upsize from their present home, or find a home for their retirement. This is because today’s manufactured homes are quality crafted structures that deliver better overall value than site-built properties. If you’re considering this type of home for your next residence, the many options you have for its location, floor plan, financing, and other considerations may make the process seem overwhelming. However, the process is made easier when you’re able to gather the information you need from the right resources.

There are two important steps to take when considering this type of housing option.

Learn about the industry

You’ll need to gain insight on deciding between different housing types, choosing homeowners insurance, attaining financing, hiring service providers, getting the proper building permits and permissions, and more. From there, you can make an informed decision about what type of manufactured home is right for you.

Make the necessary decisions about your home

If you decide to buy a manufactured home, you’ll have a whole set of decisions to make, such as where to build the home, whether you want to buy or lease the land, who will build the home, and what floor plan will work best for you, among other choices.

Today’s Manufactured and Modular Homes Have Terrific Street Appeal

Attractiveness of Manufactured Homes

Factory-built homes are attractive and can easily fit in with most neighborhoods. Browsing the homes on this site lets you see for yourself the appeal and comfort you can expect in one of our high-quality manufactured or modular homes. The old stereotype of factory-built housing being inferior is now a long-gone myth. A home is a home—and the visual appeal of our homes prove it.

There’s a spacious, stylish and beautiful factory-built home for every taste, lifestyle, and budget. Whatever you want in your new home, you can have it in a manufactured home.

Get the Most Value for Your Money When Buying a Home

Manufactured Home Prices

Manufactured home prices are not too good to be true—they’re too good to pass up!

While building a traditional home from the ground up is an incredibly expensive venture, you can have all the benefits of a brand-new home at a fraction of the cost when you choose a manufactured home instead.

Manufactured homes are built in environmentally controlled factories where there is no down time in construction caused by Florida’s often harsh weather. And, because component parts to your new home are bought in bulk, our homebuilders can pass the savings along to you.

There are several benefits of manufactured homes that ultimately make them a more cost-effective choice than site-built homes.

Their construction environment prevents material loss.

These factory-built homes are constructed in a covered, controlled environment that’s protected from inclement weather, so there won’t be any delays in construction or material loss due to external factors that would ordinarily cause damage, such as rain or hail. Additionally, this environment enables the use of precise construction technologies and inventory controls that help to minimize material waste. These practices generally keep manufactured home prices lower than those for site-built homes.

They can be built with the same materials for less money.

In terms of material quality, manufactured houses are made with the same building materials that are used in site-built homes. However, manufactured home builders are able to negotiate substantial savings on building materials because of the volume of homes they make. These savings get passed on directly to home buyers through reduced manufactured home prices.

They are built efficiently with exceptional craftsmanship.

Manufactured homes are built in a team environment using advanced building technology, quality building materials, and skilled labor that result in a more precise and better built home. Builders are trained and skilled in specific areas of construction, so every aspect of your home will be built with exceptional craftsmanship. What’s more, every step of the construction process is governed by a strict federal building code and closely monitored by third-party inspectors.

When you connect with the Florida Manufactured Housing Association to learn more about manufactured home prices and how these homes provide the best possible value for your dollar, you’ll discover that there are many additional benefits that manufactured houses have over site-built homes. For more information, or to be connected with a reliable home builder or other industry members, contact FMHA today.

Learning More About Manufactured Homes

Manufactured Homes 101

The Florida Manufactured Housing Association has a wealth of information at your fingertips to assist you in your journey to homeownership. From videos to definition of terms unique to your new factory-built home, it’s all right here.

Are Mobile Homes a Thing of the Past?

Manufactured Home Safety

Manufactured Home Insurance & Financing

Take the Next Step – Manufactured Home Buying

What is a modular home?

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